River Song is a Tudor intruder

The next volume of River Song’s full-cast audio adventures is set during her time in Stormcage prison, when she’s locked away for the assassination of her husband, the Doctor. Only, something’s wrong with history, and River is soon whisked back to 1536… 

In this four-hour epic, scripted by Rochana Patel, River must deal with the machinations surrounding the court of Henry VIII, all while finding a way to repair time.  

The Death and Life of River Song: The Dissolution of Time stars Alex Kingston as River Song alongside Charithra Chandran (star of Bridgerton, Dune: Prophecy and Alex Rider) as Anne Boleyn – who’s understandably not so keen on history being put back on track. 

The cast also includes Joseph Capp as Dust, Harry Myers as Henry VIII, Emily Woodward as Mary Tudor, James Joyce as the Duke of Richmond, and Andrew Wincott as Thomas Cromwell. 

The Death and Life of River Song: The Dissolution of Time box set is now available for pre-order from just £22.99 (download to own) or £29.99 (download to own + collector’s edition CD) exclusively here. Please note: the collector’s edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1,250 copies and will not be repressed. 

River Song has been imprisoned in the Stormcage, facing multiple life sentences for the Doctor’s assassination... or, at least, she was. Now, time is collapsing, and River is unexpectedly marooned in Tudor England, 1536 – with a mysterious alien companion, Dust. 

Someone, or something, has broken history: the distortions centring on the court of King Henry VIII. River must find the culprit, and fix the damage, before it’s too late. But some players, for whom established history does not end happily, may have other ideas... 

Producer David Richardson said: “Everyone is fascinated by the court of Henry VIII and his doomed wives; the story has been told in TV dramas and films for decades, most recently in Wolf Hall. This is a very different take: what might have happened if River Song was there, thrown unwillingly into Earth’s past? 

“What if history doesn’t play out as we thought… if those characters on the board game moved in different directions, made different choices? Rochana has delivered a belter of a script and one that really gives our actors something magical to play with.” 

Writer Rochana Patel added: “This is a vast, sprawling, lavish historical drama – with a dose of science fiction thrown in! Normally, when you get a ‘celebrity historical’, you’ll get just one famous character, and only one episode to explore their story; but here we have multiple characters and multiple episodes, so we can really delve into the complexities of Tudor England, 1536! 

“It’s the biggest, longest pseudo-historical story in the Whoniverse! An epic drama, featuring Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell, Mary Tudor and many others – with River Song right at the heart of the royal intrigue… If you enjoy series like Wolf Hall and The Tudors, you should find plenty to enjoy here!” 

Big Finish listeners can also pre-order The Dissolution of Time in a multibuy bundle with the previous two The Death and Life of River Song box sets, Last Words and Ace and Tegan, from just £66 (download to own) or £80 (download to own + collector’s edition CD). 

All the above prices (including pre-order and multibuy bundle discounts) are fixed for a limited time only and guaranteed no later than October 2025. 

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.